Wheel-tread



|.D. INGRAM.

WHEEL TREAD.A APPLICATION HLED nc.'24, 1918.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

figg@ ttoznup Unirse .tratas PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH D. INGRAM, OF AMARILLO, TEXAS.

W'HEEL-TREAD.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn" D. NGRAM, a citizen vof the United States, residing at Amarillo, in the county of Potter and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Wheel-Tread, of which the following is a specification.

rThis invention relates to wheel treads vdesigned ymore especially for heavy service such as required of artillery, tractors, etc., and which, to be of desired efficiency, must be capable of traveling over both hard and soft ground.

One of the objects of the invention 1s to provide a wheel having a novel arrangement and combination of shoes for engaging thel ground and presenting an extensive area for contact with the soil so that la heavy load can be supported without causing thewheel to sink to an objectionable extent into the supporting soil. I

Another object is to provide shoes having means for preventing` them from interlocking while in use and whichare so arranged that two or more of them will engage the surface of the ground simultaneously while the wheel is rotating.

A still further object is to provide simple and efficient means for anchoring the shoes to the wheel without interfering with their movement relative to the Wheel.

Another object is to provide a shoe which canbe formed from sheet metal.

A further object is to provide a wheel the parts of which can be assembled readily.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claimsa it being understood that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel having the present improvements combined therewith, the normal positions of the lower shoes being indicated by dotted lines.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedFeb. 8, 1921.

Application led December 24, 1918. Serial No. 268.152.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontalv section through a portion of the wheel. V

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3, F ig. 2.

Fig. l is a perspective view of one of the shoes.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference7 1 designates the rim of a wheel and extending inwardly therefromat regular intervals are Stems 2 each of which has a holding plate 3 vslidably, and tiltably mounted thereon. there being a slot 4 in the plate through which the stem extends loosely. The holding plate is provided at one end and close to the stem, with a sleeve 5 extending transversely and in which is mounted a bearing pin 6. The stems 2 can be arranged singly 'along the rim of the wheel or, if preferred and as shown in the drawings, can bejarranged in pairs, the stems of each pair extending through one of the holding plates. Each plate 3 has ears 7 extending therefrom at that end removed from the sleeve 5 and to these ears are connected the ends of an anchoring bail or link 8, a portion of which engages the next adjoining stems 2 between the rim 1 and the plate 3 on said stems. Coiled springs 9 are mounted on the stems 2 and press against the plates 3 thereby to hold the sleeves 5 and hails 8 normally pressed against the rim 1. As shown in the drawings, each stem 2 is substantially concentric with the sleeve 5 on the next adjoining stem 2.

rlhe ends of each of the pins 6 extend beyond the sides of the rim 1 and through elongated side strips 10 forming the sides of the shoes of the wheel. The pins 6 can be held in these side strips by cotter pins 11 or the like. End plates 12 extend outwardly from the ends of both side strips on each pin 6 and the corresponding plates on the two strips are connected by integral foot plates 13 which can be formed with transverse corrugations 14:, as shown, thus to reduce slipping1 when the plates are in contact with a supporting surface. foot plates 13 occupy planes substantially parallel with the longitudinal axes of their side strips 10.

Pivotally connected to one side strip 10 of each pair at opposite sides of the center thereof are inwardly extending links 15 the inner ends of which are connected to an endless chain 15 or the like which includes The a spring 17 so that the chain is held normally taut thereby to pull through the links l5 upon all of the shoes to hold the shoes at the same angle to the radii while said shoes are in their normal positions.

When the wheel is rotated the foot plates of the shoes will be brought successively into engagement with the supporting surface. As each shoe moves downwardly into supporting position its advancing foot plate 13 first engages the ground while the wheel rim moved in the direction thereof. This causes the side strips of the shoe to rock upon their pin 6 and to pull and thrust through the respective links 15 upon the chain 16. As the wheel continues to rotate it ultimately brings both foot plates ot the said shoe into contact with the supporting surface the weight of the wheel and the supported load causing the pin 6 to move inwardly, carrying with it the plate 3 which slides inwardly along the stems 2 against the action of the springs 9. During this inward movement of' the plate 3 the bail 8 will swing therewith and act as a brace to relieve the stems by transmitting a great portion of the pull and thrust from the lowermost shoe to the bases of the adjoining stems 2. While the plate 3 of the lower- -most shoe is pressed upwardly along the stems 2 with the wheel rim 1 resting on or close to the two toot plates of the shoe the advancing and receding ends of the next adjoining shoes are in contact with the Ground, Vas shown by full lines in lig. 1. lontinued rotation of the wheel will bring another shoe with both of its foot plates into contact with the ground before the two plates of the shoe in advance thereof are raised and at this time in the rotation of the wheel no less than four oot plates are resting fiat upon the ground while two additional foot plates are touching the ground, one advancing and the other receding. Importance is attached to the fact that the shoes are self adjusting and adapt themselves automatically to the surface on which the wheel is mounted, and the constant yielding pull upon all of the shoes by the spring controlled chain 16 serves to reset the shoes after they have moved out of contact with the ground, so -that they will not become interlocked and thus interfere with the operation of the parts.

lt will be apparent that simply by removing a pin 6 the shoe engaged thereby can be detached for repairs or replacement. The shoes can be shaped readily from sheet metal. lThese shoes interiit, every other shoe straddling the ends oil the next adjoining shoe so that the shoes are all held in proper relation to the rim and will not twist out of place when the wheel is turned about a vertical axis.

W hat is claimed is 1. llllhe combination with a wheel rim, of shoes tiltably and bodily movable relative to the rim, yielding` means for pressing the shoes outwardly relative to the rim, and an elastic element connected to all of the shoesV for holding them yieldingly against tilting.

.2. The combination with a. wheel rim,

of shoes tiltably and bodily movable rela tive to the rim, yielding means for retarding the bodily movement oi the shoes, an endless flexible element at one side of the wheel rim and including an elastic portion, and connections between said element and the shoes for holding the shoes yieldingly against tilting.

3. A tread shoe for wheels, including side strips, end plates extending outwardly from the side plates, transversely corrugated foot plates connecting the end plates, said strips and plates being formed in a single piece of sheet metal.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH D. INGRAM.

Witnesses:

W. W. FLENNIKEN, W. T. FUQUA. 

